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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Does anybody know how to choose a Chinese scholar's rock (供石)?
I got a request from a friend of mine, but I have no clue what to look in it.
Chinese scholars' rocks (Chinese: 供石; pinyin: gōngshí), also known as scholar stones or viewing stones, are naturally occurring or shaped rocks which are traditionally appreciated by Chinese scholars.[1]
Scholars rocks can be any color; and contrasting colors are not uncommon. The size of the stone can also be quite varied: scholars rocks can weigh either hundreds of pounds or less than one pound.[2] The term also identifies stones which are placed in traditional Chinese gardens.
Contents
HistoryEdit
In the Tang dynasty, a set of four important qualities for the rocks were recognized. They are: thinness (shou), openness (tou), perforations (lou), and wrinkling (zhou).[1]
Chinese scholar's rocks influenced the development of Korean suseok and Japanese suiseki.[3]
OriginEdit
The origin of the stone is a notable feature.
Lingbi stone feom Anhui. Ming Dynasty, 15th century
- Taihu stone (Taihushi) from Lake Tai, Jiangsu province, limestone[4]
AestheticsEdit
The aesthetics of a scholar's rock is based on subtleties of color, shape, markings, surface, and sound. Prized qualities include:
- awkward or overhanging asymmetry[7]
- resonance or ringing when struck[7]
- representation or resemblance to mountainous landscapes or figure[7][8]
- texture[7]
- moistness or glossy surface[7]
Scholar's rock illustration, 11th century
The stone may be displayed on a rosewoodpedestal that has been carved specifically for the stone. The stones are a traditional subject of Chinese paintings.[9]